Finally, after a winter of trying to figure out who really won last years tour, we're back live. All I can say is, of course he did, he's a pro cyclist after all. And on a similar note, so did the guy who's buddies are all abandoning like rats jumping off a sinking ship. I can only wait to see the size of the humble pie he's going to have to eat.

So this year...

First we've got a guy who has looked crushingly invincible so far this year. Totally dominant win in Italy, two smaller races in Spain, one other race he would have won except for an untimely flat, and his biggest victory to date; the win over the Spanish anti-doping authority. This boy is absolutely teflon.

Next is a sore loser who's looking for redemption but so far this year has looked like a club cyclist trying to climb with cat 1 racers. Not a pretty site. Also, his teams attack of a rider with a flat in Switzerland to advance his brother to a podium spot puts the lie to his claims that he would "never have raced like that". I just don't see him mounting a real challenge.

And don't let the americans fool you either. Good in California in May isn't the same as good in France in July. There may be a podium, but only because that bald guy never sticks his nose in the wind and may just have the legs to follow wheels all the way to Paris. As for the California winner, I could see a stage win, but not much more than that.

And now on to the real fun...

If you follow the news closely, you would have seen that one team bus was seized by French authorities today. I wonder what's in the refrigerator? And who's bags of spare blood are going to be missed on the first rest day? Which brings me to my TDF Contest...

All new this year, everyone pick your favorite and play Guess The Doper. Here's the rules, pick who you think will be the first rider to test positive at this years Tour. (Alberto Contador doesn't count unless it's for an incident seperate from last year). First correct guess wins a prize to be determined later. Second place goes to the correct guess of the first team, other than Quick Step to withdraw or be excluded from this years race. I'll keep track and post results as they come in. If a tie occurs (two or more riders test positive on the same day) the rider highest on GC will be considered to have "won". Don't hesitate, post your guesses in the comments...

Well that's it for now. Hopefully we'll get some action this year, but really, I think I'm going to nap for the first week, I mean really, how many field sprints can one watch?